Carton structure

ABSTRACT

A carton structure particularly intended for use with a lamp bulb is formed of a carton blank of cardboard or other material to be folded along bend lines articulating first, second, third and fourth side wall panels as well as top and bottom flaps. Openings are formed in one or more of the side wall panels to allow visual display of the article contained therein. Bottom holding flaps are contiguous with the side wall panels and are turned upwardly into the carton and terminate at a common level in the carton to provide support edges therein. A bottom panel is inserted into the carton and rests upon the support edges formed by the bottom holding flaps and is held in place thereby. The bottom wall panel has peripheral portions thereof turned downwardly and inserted between the respective wall and upturned bottom holding flap. The transverse dimension of each flap is slightly larger than the transverse dimension of the space within the folded carton so that the flaps are firmly held in position by frictional force and the carton will provide a protective cushion housing around the article contained therein.

[ Jan. 1, 1974 CARTON STRUCTURE [75] Inventors: James N. Edgeington, Jr.; Edgar G.

Lowrance, II; Richard G. Odell, all of Albuquerque, N. Mex.

[73] Assignee: IMS Corporation, Albuquerque, N.

Mex.

22 Filed: Dec. 27,1971

21 Appl. No.: 212,557

[52] US. Cl 229/23 A, 206/45.19, 206/46 FR, 229/14 C, 229/39 B [51] Int. Cl....-. 865d 13/04 [58] Field of Search 229/23 R, 23 A, 23 BT, 229/39 B, 14 C; 206/45.14, 45.19, 46 FR [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,190,433 2/1940 Palmerm. 229/37 R 1,473,635 11/1923 Mann et a1... 229/39 B 1,626,971 5/1927 Russell 229/39 B 2,276,128 3/1942 WelIman. 229/39 B 3,685,640 8/1972 Tolaas 206145.31 1,445,773 2/1923 Koppelman 229/39 B FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 712,915 8/1954 Great Britain 229/39 B 428,848 9/1911 France 229/39 B 229,659 2/1925 Great Britain 229/39 B Primary Examiner-William T. Dixson, Jr. Assistant Examiner--Stephen Marcus AttorneyRoy H. Olson et al.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A carton structure particularly intended for use with a lamp bulb is formed of a carton blank of cardboard or other material to be folded along bend lines articulating first, second, third and fourth side wall panels as well as top and bottom flaps. Openings are formed in one or more of the side wall panels to allow visual display of the article contained therein. Bottom holding flaps are contiguous with the side wall panels and are turned upwardly into the carton and terminate at a common level in the carton to provide support edges therein. A bottom panel is inserted into the carton and rests upon the support edges formed by the bottom holding flaps and is held in place thereby. The bottom wall panel has peripheral portions thereof turned downwardly and inserted between the respective wall and upturned bottom holding flap. The transverse di mension of each flap is slightly larger than the trans verse dimension of the space within the folded carton so that the flaps are firmly held in position by frictional force and the carton will provide a protective cushion housing around the article contained therein.

4 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures CARTON STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a carton construction and more particularly to a carton construction for use in housing breakable articles thereby to provide a cushion about the article and to allow visual display of the article contained therein.

Articles such as light bulbs, or visual display apparatus taking the form substantially of that of a light bulb, are packaged in cardboard cartons of varying structural design and of varying cardboard texture for the purpose of providing a cushion or protective housing around the light bulb during transport, storage and display thereof. These prior art cartons are relatively simple and function adequately for the purpose intended. However, cartons of this general character are relatively unattractive on a sales display and, the salability of such bulbs or display devices is substantially reduced because of the inherent poor merchandising of such cartons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a carton structure which will house light bulb-like devices to provide a cushion housing thereabout and yet provide an attractive unit which enables a purchaser not only to see a pleasant looking carton but also to see the article therein.

Another object of this invention is to provide a carton structure which is particularly suitable for holding an article therein in a particular orientation while providing a substantial amount of space within the carton about the article. 7

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a carton structure which will maintain a light bulb-like device in fixed orientation in the carton which is well spaced from all external wall surfaces to prevent breakage thereof.

Still yet another object of this invention is to provide a carton structure which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and efficient and reliable in use.

Briefly, the carton structure of this invention is formed of a blank or". cardboard material to be folded along bend lines.'Each of the side panels-of the blank is articulated along the bend line and the side walls of the carton are thus formed. Top flaps are provided on at least three of the side walls to provide a readily openable and closeable cover for the carton. Bottom flap portions extend from each of the side panels a uniform distance'downwardly and these flaps are folded completely into the carton when the carton is so formed from the blank. A separate bottom wall portion is inserted into the carton and rests upon the upwardly extended edges formed by the tur'ned inward bottom flaps. The separate bottom wall portionhas peripheral edges thereof turned downwardly and inserted between each of the respective wall and bottom flap portions to be held in position thereby. An aperture is formed in the bottom wall to receive the threaded end portion of a light bulb-like device, such as a display unit or the like. A separate top wall insert may be positioned in the carton through the top opening thereof and has upwardly turned edge portions which maintain the top wallinsert a spaced distance from the outer top wall of from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals throughout the various views of the drawings are intended to designate similar elements or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a carton blank constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a top wall insert used in the carbon blank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of abottom wall portion to be inserted into the carton blank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows the top wall insert. of FIG. 2 having the peripheral portions thereof folded upwardly in readiness for insertion into the carton;

FIG. 5 shows the bottom wall portion of FIG. 3 with the peripheral edge portions thereof turned downwardly for insertion into the carton of this invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates the initial folding condition of the blank of FIG. 1 with the respective different panel wall portions articulated along the bend lines thereof;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the use of the carton of this invention wherein a light bulb-like structure is contained therein and readily displayed through the opening of the carton; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken through a closed carton of this invention to more clearly show a light bulblike structure firmly held therein and spaced from all side wall portions thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1 there is seen a carton blank 10 which is fashioned in accordance with the principles of this invention to form a carton structure for holding it will form the sides of the carton. When the carton is formed by the blank 10 the article contained therein can be readily seen through circular openings 12a, 14a

and 16a passing through the correspondingly numbered side walls. These openings while being shown circular, can be of any configuration desired. The side wall panel 18 will represent the back panel of the carton constructed herein. However, the openings can be formed in any combination of wall panels they being less or more than three in number as desired. Top flaps 26, 28 and 30 are formed as part of the wall panels 12, 14 and 16, respectively, and are articulated along the bend lines 32, 34 and 36. The top flap 28 hasa tuck portion 35 which is bent over along the bend line 37 and is used to be inserted into the carton for closing the top thereof.

Fastening means are provided on the side wall panels 12 and 18 so that when they are brought together by bending along bend lines 20, 22 and 24 they will securely hold the carton in a locked. condition. The fastening means illustrated herein takes the form of an extended portion 38 secured to the wall panel 18 and bent along the bend line 40. A pair of slots 42 and 44 are formed along the bend line 40 and receive mating tabs 46 and 48, respectively, fashioned along the free edge of the wall panel 12. The tabs 36 and 38 may include a widening portion, as seen on the drawing, to be of an extent equal to or slightly greater than the extent of the slots receiving them. Therefore, when the tabs are inserted into the slots some pressure is required and they will be held securely in place.

A plurality of second flap means are provided at the bottom of each of the wall panels and are here designated by reference numerals 50, 52, 54 and 56. These flaps are substantially of the same length from their respective bend lines 51, 53, 55 and 57. The flapsare' turned inwardly into the carton, when folded as described above, so that their edges 50a, 52a,54a and 560 will provide a support edge or ridge at substantially the same'level around the four walls within the carton. A separate bottom wall portion is then inserted into the carton and supported on these edges as will be described hereinbelow.

Referring now to FIG. 2 a spacer insert 60 is shown which is to be inserted at the top of the carton formed by the blank 10 to provide a space or air gap between the outer top wall of the carton and the article therein. The spacer insert 60 is formed by having three peripheral portions 61, 62 and 63 thereof folded upwardly along corresponding bend lines 64, 65 and 66. This is best illustrated in FIG. 4 which shows the peripheral portions 61, 62 and 63 bent upwardly for insertion into the carton. An opening 67 is formed substantially centrally of the insert 60 and is utilized to receive a spherical portion of the bulb or bulb-like device housed within the carton. This will serve to hold the bulb in a substantially fixed position within the carton.

FIG. 3 illustrates an insertable bottom wall portion 70 which has four peripheral portions 71, 72, 73 and 74 arranged to be turned downwardly along their corresponding bend lines 75, 76, 77 and 78. This is best illustrated in FIG. 5 which shows the bottom wall portion 70 having the peripheral portions thereof turned downwardly. An opening 79 is formed substantially centrally within the bottom wall portion 70 and is sized to receive the threaded portion of the light bulb or similar device therein. Referring now to FIG. 6 a semi-folded condition of' the blank 10 is shown to illustrate the direction of bending each panel along their associated bend lines. The wall panel 12 is shown bent forwardly of the drawing while-the panel 14 remains in a flat condition as viewed therein. Panels 16 and 18 are bent upwardly of the view while panel 18 is bent still further to bring together the slots 42 and 44 with the corresponding mating tabs 46 and 48 respectively. When the blank 10 is in a fully folded condition the top tabs 26, 28 and 30 are-folded and locked together when the carton is formed as shown in FIG. 7. Here the carton is designated by reference numeral 10a and contains a light bulb-like device designated generally by reference numeral 80. The light bulb device can be in actuality a light bulb or a display device which may be a neon filled structure having glow electrodes formed therein for advertising purposes or the like. As seen in FIG. 7 the carton 10a provides a cushion or space area about the device 80 and all side wall and top wall portions thereof so as to prevent breakage or damage to the device during shipping display and handling. The top wall insert is shown spaced from the top of the carton while the insertable bottom wall is shown at a location substantially removed from the bottom edge of the carton so that the threaded end of the bulb will extend into the open space provided thereby.

The details of construction of the carton 10a are best seen in FIG. 8 which is a sectional view through the carton as taken through the side wall portions 12 and 18 and viewed from the front wall 14 to the back wall 18. The bottom flaps 50, 54 and 56 are shown turned upwardly into the interior of the carton and terminate at a common level therein. The edge portions 501:, 54a and 56a provide a support ridge upon which the bottom wall portion 70 rests. The folded over portions 71, 72 and 73 are tucked between the upwardly turned flaps and the immediately adjacent side wall portions.

The space between the bottom wall portion 70 and the top wall insert 60 is sufficient to receive the full size of the article being held. However, a spherical portion 82 of the bulb is received by the aperture 67 of the insert 60 and the bulb is held in the upright position. The threaded end 81 of the bulb 80 passes through the aperture 79 of the bottom wall portion 70 and extends into an open space defined interiorly of the side wall portions and on the other side of the bottom wall portion 70. This open space, together with the space at the top of the carton, and the free space about all four side walls of the carton provide a cushion area for the bulb 80 to minimize breakage thereof. The apertures in the carton allow visual display of the article contained therein, and the general overall appearance of the carton is greatly improved.

What has been described is a simple and efficient carton structure which has particular utility for holding light bulb-like structures, or other similar devices. However, the carton can be modifed to contain substantially different kinds of articles. Accordingly, variations and modifications of this invention may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope as defined and claimed herein.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A carton construction comprising a blank to be folded to form side walls and a top of the carton, there being first, second, third, and fourth side wall panels formed by said blank, each panel being articulated along a bend line, said first panel having a free side edge and said fourth panel having an extended portion from its side edge, fastening means securing said free side edge to said extended portion thus forming side walls of the carton from said first, second, third, and fourth panels, first flap means formed by said blank and extending from said first, second, and third panels, said first flap means forming a top flap and insert tab of the carton, second flap means formed by said blank and extending from the bottom of said first, second, third, and fourth panels, each of said second flap means being of the same length and turned inwardly to be adjacent and substantially parallel to its associated side wall panel, each of said second flap means having a terminating edge at the same level within the carton, and a bottom wall positioned within said side walls and supported by the terminating edges of said second flap means, said bottom wall includes turned peripheral portions on all four sides which extend toward the bottom of the carton and are positioned between the respective wall and second flap means to be held in position thereby, and a top-wall insert positioned beneath saidtop flaps of the carton and spaced therefrom to serve as a holding means with said bottom wall, said top wall insert having turned upwardly peripheral portions on three sides only thereof, and a fourth side having a free edge, said top wall inserted into the carton so that said insert tab of said top flap will cooperate with said free edge for allowing easy access of said tab into the top of the carton during closing.

2. The carton construction of claim 1 wherein said first, second and third panels have openings therein to allow visual display of the article containedin the carton.

3. The carton construction of claim I wherein said fastening means is formed by a pair of slots in said extended portion of said fourth panel, said slots being formed at the bend line articulating said extended por' tion and said fourth panel, and a pair of mating tabs formed on said first panel to engage said slots.

4. The carton construction of claim 1 wherein said top wall insert and said bottom wall have apertures formed therein to receive a portion of the article car ried within the carton-for holding the same. 

1. A carton construction comprising a blank to be folded to form side walls and a top of the carton, there being first, second, third, and fourth side wall panels formed by said blank, each panel being articulated along a bend line, said first panel having a free side edge and said fourth panel having an extended portion from its side edge, fastening means securing said free side edge to said extended portion thus forming side walls of the carton from said first, second, third, and fourth panels, first flap means formed by said blank and extending from said first, second, and third panels, said first flap means forming a top flap and insert tab of the carton, second flap means formed by said blank and extending from the bottom of said first, second, third, and fourth panels, each of said second flap means being of the same length and turned inwardly to be adjacent and substantially parallel to its associated side wall panel, each of said second flap means having a terminating edge at the same level within the carton, and a bottom wall positioned within said side walls and supported by the terminating edges of said second flap means, said bottom wall includes turned peripheral portions on all four sides which extend toward the bottom of the carton and are positioned between the respective wall and second flap means to be held in position thereby, and a top wall insert positioned beneath said top flaps of the carton and spaced therefrom to serve as a holding means with said bottom wall, said top wall insert having turned upwardly peripheral portions on three sides only thereof, and a fourth side having a fRee edge, said top wall inserted into the carton so that said insert tab of said top flap will cooperate with said free edge for allowing easy access of said tab into the top of the carton during closing.
 2. The carton construction of claim 1 wherein said first, second and third panels have openings therein to allow visual display of the article contained in the carton.
 3. The carton construction of claim 1 wherein said fastening means is formed by a pair of slots in said extended portion of said fourth panel, said slots being formed at the bend line articulating said extended portion and said fourth panel, and a pair of mating tabs formed on said first panel to engage said slots.
 4. The carton construction of claim 1 wherein said top wall insert and said bottom wall have apertures formed therein to receive a portion of the article carried within the carton for holding the same. 